Photo Credit: Home Depot
It all started for her at a young age when she realized she wanted to have goals in life. She was raised by a single mother who worked three jobs, and Figueroa faced numerous family challenges throughout her life. She did not let those obstacles stand in her way.
鈥淚 want you to delete everything in your mind that doesn鈥檛 move you forward,鈥� she says.
Figueroa outlines several things you need to do to get what you want out of life.
鈥淎lways assume that you鈥檙e good enough,鈥� she says.
Figueroa put herself out there and went for a position within her company that she did not believe she would get. She knew deep down that she could accomplish great things and help the organization grow. Even with doubt, she pushed herself to go for it. She surprised herself by making it to the final two candidates. Though she didn鈥檛 get the job, she learned a great deal from the experience and made new connections.
A good place to start is to assume good intent and picture positive outcomes. Surround yourself with a circle of people that want you to win and spend time with them. Figueroa says a mentor can also be a champion for you and can help you make real change happen. Figueroa still gets anxiety when she feels an urge to put her two cents on the table.
鈥淚 go back to this little sticky note here that I have 鈥� a strong woman looks a challenge dead in the eye and gives it a wink,鈥� Figueroa says. 鈥淚 try to look at that as my inspiration to, you know what, just do it. Assume that these people want to hear it. Assume that my two cents is valuable and I鈥檒l put it on the table. And again, sometimes they鈥檙e not going to pick it up. But whatever the challenges that you鈥檝e identified, I want you to visualize yourself right on the other side of it.鈥�
Figueroa says imposter syndrome makes you 鈥渇eel fraudulent about achievement.鈥� This can include self-doubt, sabotaging your own success, not accepting recognition, or undervaluing your contributions.
鈥淭he more success you have, the more obstacles you overcome, the more challenges you know you achieve, you will find yourself doubting yourself more and more,鈥� she says.
When you identify your fear, the next step is to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. Consider the worst-case scenario. How detrimental is the outcome going to be if it doesn鈥檛 go your way? Though it may take time to sit and wrap your head around it, Figueroa says the key is to get comfortable with it and focus on the realities.
鈥淏e so positive that negative people don鈥檛 want to be around you. Be confident, believe in yourself that you can move through these scenarios not only in your mind, but in the real world,鈥� she says.
Figueroa was scared to become the first female regional rental manager for Home Depot. She was comfortable being an assistant general manager leading 650 associates in a warehouse. When a divisional HR manager reached out to her and tried recruiting her for the regional rental manager position, Figueroa turned the job down several times. It was a push from her supervisor telling her to go for it that gave her the confidence to take the leap.
Now, Figueroa is the only female in her network of male counterparts. She realizes that her lens is different from her peers, and her different experiences give her a unique strength.
鈥淚n order to succeed in a male-populated industry, not only do you have to believe in your own abilities, but you can鈥檛 let self doubt creep in,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he minute you do, and you start seeing yourself as less than, you鈥檙e going to fade to black. You鈥檝e got to believe in yourself."
A version of this article is featured in Edition 2 of 2024 in our official magazine, Redefining The Road. Download the latest edition here.
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